MM2S020: Season 2, Episode 4
By: Ken Boone We are entering the second year of my podcast, as well as the fourth year of this network. Thanks again for all your support! Special shout out to all of my friends liking, sharing, and commenting on the episodes. Kind words from friends keeps this thing going on. Anyone who’s know me for the past 40+ years, knows that I was all about Gospel music. I loved to listen to it, write it, perform it, even write school papers about it. Truth be told, I was obsessed with it. When I was about 15 years old, my friend “Great Grandpa Fred” brought an album to my house, promising it would change my life. He was right! The album was “Andrae’ Crouch and the Disciples, Live at Carnegie Hall”. I was a convert! I was so blown away by the record and the artist that friends and foes alike thought I wanted to be him. To a certain extent that was true. But what was really happening in this odd mind of mine was that I didn’t want to be the next Andrae’ Crouch. I wanted to be his boss, Ralph Carmichael! And who is Ralph Carmichael? Wanting to be like Ralph is something anyone who dreams of being successful in the music industry should strive for! The only other person who had such a broad background as him is my friend Pete, who's done just about anything you can do in this business. But today, let’s talk about Ralph’s… Ralph Carmichael (born May 27, 1927 – 94 years old) is an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music, being regarded as one of the pioneers of the latter genre as well as the father of contemporary Christian music. He is the founder of Light Records (one-time label of Andrae’ Crouch) I first heard of him when I was around 10 years old while listening to Family Radio every Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It was then when I first became familiar with another Christian artist named Bill Gaither. That became the basis of an early Coke vs. Pepsi debate in my head. In that battle, Ralph won because he was more of a behind-the-scenes guy. I learned that before he became a world-class arranger, then a record executive, he was a performer who started on the violin. I saved that fact for a rainy day. To me, the Contemporary Christian style of music was much more appealing than the stuffy hymns and classical music I was forced to listen to and perform at church and in the Boys Choir. When Fred introduced me to Andrae’ Crouch, and I learned that he was on Ralph Carmichael’s label, Light Records, I thought it was kismet. I had a clear blueprint to be the next Ralph! I would start my own ensemble, record my own records, and leverage that into a full-blown label and publishing company. Spoiler alert – things didn’t turn out as planned. That’s because:
So, I lost my way. I began seeking attention in a big way. While chasing the applause and raucous “Amens”, I didn’t take my inventory. If I had, it would have been clear to me that I didn’t have the talent nor the desire to acquire the skills needed to be halfway decent a performer. After a dozen years of banging my head against the wall, I gave up on the bogus dream to get a real job and start a family. Being on the “right track” did nothing to squelch the real dream. Doing the corporate thing, I probably did just enough to keep my job. I’m know that it frustrated the hell out of my colleagues and superiors who though I didn’t work up to my potential. I rationalized that if I did perform amazing, I would advance, make much more money, and lose sight of my dream. It didn’t help that my brother was very accomplished in music and probably never worked a traditional job. You know about sibling rivalry. To his credit, in addition to God-given talent, he worked his ass off practicing, studying, and playing his way to greatness! It wasn’t until I hit my 50s that I saw my dream become a reality. And it wasn’t by starting a chart-topping Christian label. I had the opportunity to work with an independent record label at the tail end of their quarter century run. It was there that the label’s president told me on several occasions that he wished that we had partnered up decades ago. He said that the company would have reached “loftier heights”! In a way, the dream to be like Ralph did come true. While not in music, I enjoy being the behind-the-scenes driving force of this modest operation. And just to satisfy the itch to perform, I do this podcast with an “essence of joy”! Today's Quote “I’ve got a very behind-the-scenes personality. I don’t know how I became a performer. I like to stay discreet, out of the public eye, very low-key.” Leon Redbone, Late Canadian/American Singer
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MM2S019: Season 2, Episode 3
By: Ken Boone This is going to be a short post. But let me begin with a big congrats to my dear friend Fred, on the birth of his first great-grandchild! I start my day with a fresh mug of coffee. After taking my necessary morning meds, I fire up the studio to record something I call my “Daily Rant”. It’s how I practice verbal freestyling, while I get to play radio talk show host. Not trying to be the next Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern, but I’m copying a New York City radio host from back in the day named John Gambling. I’ll do a show about him and how his show positively impacted my early years! I've always wanted to use my voice to be of service to others. If I can shine a spotlight on the good works of friends and strangers alike, I’m doing my job. Now back to my “Daily Rant” recordings. On each of these five-minute musings that broadcast to millions of my imaginary listeners; I talk about anything that comes to mind. I have a segment called “Human Heroes” where I give a shout out to folks who’ve gone above and beyond during the worst of Covid. Not the typical heroes like medical personnel and first responders, but average civilians who did their part to keep us from going stir crazy! On Facebook, I follow a lot of jazz musicians from the Philadelphia area. For this episode, I’d like to shine a spotlight on three of them (only use first names):
I also liked that they would also post tracks from other jazz artists. While some of them were big names in the space, many of those tracks were from people we may not have known about prior to the postings. I appreciated the fact that they were sharing with the world, even while having to hustle to keep the cash flow coming in! When I began this podcast, I put out the word that I was looking for people to share their stories with you. I even created a Facebook Group Page to reach that end. So far, there have been no takers. No worries, the offer doesn’t have an expiration date! As long as I am given the opportunity to share what I have with others, I consider myself a blest (and very rich) man! Today's Quote “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill, Former British Prime Minister |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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